Box Scraper New guy w/ box blade questions.

[1FAST12R]

Hi all, first post here so please go easy on a newbie.

I'd like to fix my mess of a lawn which is a little under 1.5 acres. It's been graded but I still have a lumpy bumpy mess of soil that's littered with shale and pot holes that I'd like to get leveled out. I was wondering if a box blade would be the best attachment to use for this situation and if so, what size. Attached are pics of the property (not the greatest pic but all I have available at the moment).

My tractor is a Kubota B8200 HST 4x4. It's a 19 hp diesel w/ mid and rear PTO. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Pic of Kubota B8200 (not mine but nearly identical except I don't have a backhoe attachment....yet )

In this pic my property begins just past the taller ground growth...

 

[gordyy]

as afellow newbie here and a big fan of the box blade

just do a search and there are some great threads

look for rob 3RRR I think his handle is here
I have been around box blades for years and he does more with his than a lot of honest to god professional landscapers can do with theirs

 

[gordyy]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/122762-beginners-guide-using-box-blade.html
here try this thread an awesome guide to what a box blade can do

 

[1FAST12R]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/122762-beginners-guide-using-box-blade.html
here try this thread an awesome guide to what a box blade can do

Wow..what an insightful thread! Thanks!

 

[gordyy]

I find it makes me want to find a htl to put on my little unit
when I bought it Rob thru in the backblade then when he delivered it he realized he didnt have the 4' blade in stock so he gave me a 5' said if it wouldnt pull it let him know hed get me the 5'
so far the ground here hasnt been dry enough since it thawed to work it right although I did use it a bit on the slop in the driveway just to try and keep going across it and it seems to handle the 5' just fine I can scrape up a full load even with my turf tires and no ballast yet

 

[TORQUIN]

Hard to accurately tell from your pics, but from what I can see the yard looks pretty smooth. The grader box is used for rough grading, when you have several inches difference in the height of X ground verses the ground beside it, a hole, a hump, etc. If you just want to practice you can do your grading this way, moving less material. Note you want to do this when it is dry, and be aware you will be annoyed by the clumps of sod you'll be ripping out. I hate to rough grade a yard that has grass already growing on it because of that.
From the view of your yard, if you want to get the job done quickly, rent a Harley Rake, or other powered rake and go over your yard. You'll be done in less than an hour. You will need to rake up the rocks, sod, etc, that the rake drops in its path, but the area will be so smooth, and ready for seed.

Chris

 

[VABlue]

Looks like you have a nice lot!

A box blade would probably do the trick for you just fine, but you might have trouble keeping everything level. Even with draft control (which your little guy probably doesn't have?), when the machine dips down the blade goes up, and vice versa. You'll likely end up with a wavy yard unless you're very careful and make several passes. But even so, you'll probably be left with clumps of dirt/grass laying around everywhere.

I think the better thing to do for your yard is to rent a tiller, till the whole thing up, and then drag it smooth with a rake, harrow, or section of chain link fencing weighted down on the front side. That will leave you with a nice, smooth, seed bed for planting. You could fertilize/lime it before tilling to work everything in smoothly, also. You might want to be careful with the tiller because of the shale you mention, but should be okay. This is a cheaper option than purchasing a box blade and will be much better for your yard.

The blade would be fantastic for your driveway, though, as that looks to be pretty long!

 

[SouthernX]

You might try rolling it with as heavy a roller as you can pull. I would at least try that before you start moving dirt. If the roller doesn't get the job done then you having really haven't lost anything and can move on to something more "drastic".

 

[Ford850]

I agree with some of the other comments. I would either disk or till it shallow, then drag it smooth. Mine was similar and the disk and drag worked good for me.

 

[SouthernX]

A box blade would probably do the trick for you just fine, but you might have trouble keeping everything level. Even with draft control (which your little guy probably doesn't have?), when the machine dips down the blade goes up, and vice versa.

Is it possible for a tractor without draft control to be modified and add some type of draft control?

I think the better thing to do for your yard is to rent a tiller, till the whole thing up, and then drag it smooth with a rake, harrow, or section of chain link fencing weighted down on the front side. That will leave you with a nice, smooth, seed bed for planting.

Good suggestion. It's probably less work than trying to use the box-blade and will probably get better results. I'm no expert but trying to level out large(r) areas with a box-blade is probably no easy feat.